'Machete' Producers Threaten to Kill 'Machete Kills' With Lawsuit

November 21, 2012 (6:01 am) GMT

Overnight Productions files a $2 million complaint to terminate an agreement that allows director Robert Rodriguez to make another film about the titular ex-federale.

An attempt to prevent "Machete Kills" from seeing the light of day has been made by the producers of the original "Machete" film. Per Deadline, Overnight Productions which produced the 2010 hit has filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, November 20, aiming to cut ties with director Robert Rodriguez's Quick Draw Productions over the rights of the sequel.

Overnight seeks to terminate an April 2012 agreement with Quick Draw. Through the agreement, Overnight granted Rodriguez the rights to helm another actioner revolving around the rogue Mexican Federale. The rights would revert back to Overnight owner Rick Scwartz. The production company is seeking $2 million in damages.

In its complaint, Overnight stated a matter of Schwartz's fee. Additionally, the company claimed that it was not given any Texas tax credit information as required under the agreement with Rodriguez's Quick Draw. "Although defendants have produced the sequel, they have failed to meet a condition precedent to their grant of rights, forcing plaintiffs to terminate the agreement," the complaint alleged.

"Defendants have also failed and refused to provide the required budget information to Overnight Productions so that it can determine the producer fee owed with respect to the sequel. As a result, plaintiffs have been forced to bring this action to confirm the cancellation of the grant of rights and to recover the amounts plaintiffs are owed," so claimed Overnight. The company estimates that it's owed in excess of $250,000 in this aspect of their legal action.

Bringing back Danny Trejo as the titular ex-federale, "Machete Kills" follows the lead character as he gets recruited by the U.S. government to take down a cartel leader and stop an arms dealer (Mel Gibson) from launching a deadly missile. Rodriguez previously said that the film is the second chapter of the project which is designed to be a trilogy.